Twenty years ago, Tony DeSio, then 50 years old, enjoyed an
early retirement, all thanks to his highly successful aerospace
career, during which he did important research in digital image
processing. But after two years, he grew restless and decided to
buy into a small start-up, which he grew into Mail Boxes Etc.

However, just as he reached the pinnacle of success, the
deleterious effects of his hectic lifestyle resulted in the
necessity of open-heart surgery. So he sold the business, underwent
a quadruple coronary bypass and decided to retire again. But it
didn't take long after his surgery until, as DeSio puts it,
"all the blood started surging through my veins. So I decided
to get back into it."

At 70, DeSio is coming out of retirement-again-to
start ImageArts
Etc. (formerly PixArts), a digital imaging franchise combining
digital printing, portrait photography, fine arts reproduction and
custom framing. The franchise takes customers' pictures, then
manipulates images via computer and prints them on various media.
Prophesying that all film-based photography will be obsolete in a
few years, DeSio hopes to combine his old expertise with his
franchising know-how to make ImageArts Etc. the leader in this new
industry. In fact, he plans to sell 50 franchises this
year-the same number MBE sold its first year.

Has DeSio given up on retirement? He says he'll consider it
at age 80, but is quick to add, "If I feel alive and well and
able to do something, I doubt I'll be retiring."

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